Constructed at over $4million, the new Sir Jack Hayward Bridge was officially opened connecting East Grand Bahama to the city of Freeport.

Located at the intersection of Grand Bahama highway and Fortune Bay Drive, the new facility was officially opened by Prime Minister Perry Christie and Minister for Grand Bahama, Dr. Michael Darville.

The prime minister on Monday morning said the government is very near to the conclusion of complex discussions and negotiations in terms of the future of Grand Bahama.

In his speech, he focused on two key points as it related to economic success in Grand Bahama.

“First, I will be informing the country of where we are, what the future will be, and that all must work together,” he said.

“The infrastructure is just too sophisticated, too rewarding to investors for there not to be an instrument that would be able to attract investment from all over the world at a much more significant pace than is currently done. Secondly, Grand Bahama must now move, and we believe we are coming up with a formula where with the level of cooperation that is expected from the shareholders and from the government both, meshing the attributes that we have, towards maximizing the return for the people of this island. Thirdly we are living in a more competitive world and no matter what we think and what our politics is all about, countries are racing to take advantage of what they see in The Bahamas and making decisions to take them beyond us.”

Dr. Darville saluted sir jack while delivering his remarks.

“Sadly, on January 13th 2015, Sir Jack Hayward passed away,” he said.

“Nevertheless, the leadership he exemplified and his ability to unite and inspire others around a vision and work towards a common goal has been a significant driver behind the successful execution of this project. Unfortunately, he did not live to see this day, but on behalf of all of us who knew him and worked closely with him, I would like to take this opportunity to thank his family and the principals of the Grand Bahama Port Authority for facilitating this project and bringing this essential infrastructural upgrade to a reality.”

Minister Darville acknowledged that it was Sir Jack back in 2009 who pointed out that the Casuarina Bridge, which connects the east end of Grand Bahama to the rest of the Island, was constructed 60 years ago and was not built to the greatest specifications, which dictated the need for the construction of another bridge.

He lamented that Sir Jack had a concern that if anything happened to the Casuarina Bridge that there would be two islands, East and West Grand Bahama, and the residents in the east would have to swim or take a boat to access the airport, harbor, medical facilities and other essential services.

According to the Minister, in 2013, the Grand Bahama Port Authority, of which Sir Jack was co-owner, awarded a $4.3 million dollar contract to All Bahamas Construction and Waugh Construction for the building of the alternative bridge across the Grand Lucayan Waterway.

He said the new bridge was envisioned to provide a direct route from East Grand Bahama into downtown Freeport in order to create greater efficiency, lessen travel time and reduce fuel costs for residents and businesses, especially the faculty and students of the Northern Campus of the College of The Bahamas.